


Expansionist Tendencies

by Project0506



Series: Soft Wars [61]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Gen, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:00:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23831998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/pseuds/Project0506
Summary: Rex's Skywalker-Naberrie babies are born.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Soft Wars [61]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683775
Comments: 59
Kudos: 722





	Expansionist Tendencies

**Author's Note:**

> For the Tumblr anon who asked about when Luke and Leia were born. Sorry I couldn't hit the Kix thing you asked about, but I think he made the more responsible choice

“Because I’ve never seen an infant in person before,” Kix responds dryly, “and my experience with the female reproductive process is hypothetical. At best. Sit down.”

Anakin sinks into the plastoid waiting room chair with ill grace. “You’d still be better,” he mutters. “I don’t know this guy.”

Anakin’s tendency towards complete and unwavering faith in his loved ones is as flattering as it is concerning. It’s something Kix and the Captain have noticed and discussed: they’ll have to be careful who they allow to have influence in his life until they work on that.

“Dr Kuan is the premier obstetrician on Alderaan,” Captain Rex says mildly, “with nearly five decades of experience. He delivered Queen Breha.”

But Anakin doesn’t know him, so he’s clearly not as good as Kix would have been. Kix scruffs him, jostles him gently until he has his attention. “I made a judgment call on a situation that I wasn’t qualified for,” Kix states firmly with no room for argument. “And I decided to step aside in favor of an expert. I’d like you to respect that decision please.” Phrased like that, Kix knows Anakin has no choice but to relent. He nods and Kix steps close, tucks Anakin’s head against his hip and lets him cling.

“Sorry,” he grunts. Kix presses his thumb across Anakin’s cheekbone, a silent acceptance. Across the room holding the door, Captain Rex watches but doesn’t step in; he won’t unless Kix says he can’t handle it. The Captain’s another one for complete, unwavering faith in his people, Kix knows, albeit in slightly subtler ways.

Kix has had the same conversation with Jesse, with Hardcase, about keeping close eye on who gets close to the Captain.

“Where’s your head?”

Anakin thinks before he responds. Kix strokes up over the side of his face in a soothing line. He knows how hard that is for him when he’s stressed. “Tatooine,” he mutters finally. “Surgery wasn’t usually. Good.”

Kix could tell him that this was a completely routine surgery, that millions of parents across the galaxy are giving birth via this exact surgery _today_. It wouldn’t do much good.

“Your spawn are _already_ fighting about who gets to be first,” he says deliberately casual. “You understand that we’re going to have to put up with the squabbling for their _entire lives_?” Anakin doesn’t relax, but he does laugh, so Kix is willing to count it as a win. “Money’s on the boy. Skywalker men are a menace.”

“I’ll take that bet,” Rex chimes in. “Naberrie women are terrifying.” Anakin immediately sides with Rex, to no one’s surprise.

Anakin knows first. His head snaps to the side, his eyes viciously intent. He’s on his feet before the doctor even enters the waiting room.

“Congratulations!” Dr. Kuan beams. “Everyone perfectly healthy, all fingers and toes accounted for. If only everyone was as diligent following prenatal care instructions as your wife, my job would be a thousand times easier.”

Anakin’s already stopped listening. If they’d been alone, Kix would scruff him again. “Can I see them?” he says in the way that anyone who knows him can tell that there is only one right answer and anything else is unacceptable. He’s moving before the doctor gives the okay. Another scruffing Anakin’s earned, as soon as they’re in private.

It’s fortunate they’d moved Padmé and the children to recovery before finding Anakin. He’d have gone barreling directly into the theater otherwise.

Padmé’s a living stereotype, Kix thinks, sitting up in bed and glowing with happiness through her tiredness. He’d read that somewhere, never thought it would be so nearly literal. “Next time,” she informs them cheerfully as they enter, “we’re making Ani do this part.”

“I _did_ recommend external incubation,” Kix reminds her and she wrinkles her nose much as she has every time they have this exact conversation. “Natural birth seems unhygienic.”

Captain Rex and Anakin descend on Padmé. Kix is wise enough not to get in the way of _that_ speeder and retreats to the corner where Sabé hovers, retrieving Padmé’s chart as he goes.

(Hadn’t _that_ been a fight. Only one additional person allowed in the theater, and it took everything Kix and the Captain had to convince Anakin that it was better to have Padmé’s bodyguard than her panicking husband. Kix doesn’t think Dr. Kuan knows what kind of blaster bolt he’d dodged.)

“All clear?” Sabé asks, and Kix checks what she’s no doubt already looked over.

“All clear,” he confirms. It _does_ mean they’d come all the way to Alderaan for no reason, but better over-prepared than under.

Sabé laughs. “It begins,” she pronounces ominously. Captain Rex very, very carefully lifts the slightly larger baby into his hold; that’d be Leia, according to their charted weights. The Captain professionally settles her exactly the way he’d been secretly practicing in the medbay for the past several days.

(That secret will die with Kix.)

“Hello, General,” he says very seriously and his entire face, entire _being_ softens at the distinctly skeptical look she shoots him. Anakin flutters around Padmé as she shows him how to hold Luke. He’s already got an open comm to the Resolute and a dozen voices are calling congratulations and asking to see them. The Captain though? None of that registers.

“He knows he has to give them back right?” Sabé whispers. The Captain strokes Leia’s wispy dark hair and murmurs to her in Mando’a, little promises, little wishes. Big oaths. Torrent’s children will have anything in the galaxy they desire, and as long as a Vod lives they’ll never know a day without love.

He can only be persuaded to release her in trade for Luke.

“Of course,” Kix responds. “They’ll need to eat at some point.”

She laughs, assuming he’s joking.

She’ll learn.


End file.
